Nuclear India VOL. 40/NO.1-2/Jul.-Aug. 2006

ISSN-09929-5523Website : http:// www.dae.gov.in

540 MWe Unit-3 of Tarapur Atomic Power Projectsynchronized with the grid

The 540 MWe, Unit-3 of Tarapur Atomic Power Project (TAPP-3) wassynchronized with the grid on June 15. Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has authorised synchronisation ofthe unit and raising its power level

The 540 MWe Unit-3 of Tarapur Atomic Power Project (TAPP-3) attained criticality on May 21, 2006. Thissignifies the start of self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction in the reactor core. The criticality of Unit-3 cameabout two months ahead of schedule. Last year Unit-4 of this project, had achieved criticality on March 6.

Designed and built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), a public sector undertaking underthe Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), TAPP-3 is the 16 th nuclear power reactor in the country. Many DAE unitshave provided valuable research and development and material inputs. Indian industry too played a major role in thesupply of critical equipment and in meeting highly crashed construction schedules.

Tarapur Atomic Power Project -3&4 (TAPP-3&4) comprises two Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) unitsof 540 MWe each. PHWRs use natural uranium fuel and heavy water both as moderator and coolant.

TAPP-3&4, India ‘s largest nuclear power plant has been built in the shortest time of any PHWR in India. Thisgestation period is comparable to international benchmarks.

All major milestones of TAPP-3 have been achieved ahead of schedule.For Unit-3, the time taken between criticality and synchronisation is about one-fourth of the time taken for Unit-4,

which was synchronised with the grid on June 4, 2005.

Presently TAPP-3 is in the processof conducting mandatory tests. Thisunit will supply electricity to the gridtermed as “infirm power”. Thepower of the unit will subsequently beincreased to full power based on testresults and authorization by AERB.

TAPP-3 is expected to be declaredcommercial in July 2006, six monthsahead of schedule.

The two units of TAPP-3&4, of540 MWe each, are India’s largest andmost advanced nuclear power units.

TAPP-3&4 belong to PressurisedHeavy Water Reactor (PHWR)family, which uses natural uranium asfuel and heavy water as moderator andcoolant. The two units of Tarapurhave been built and commissioned inthe shortest time taken by any PHWRin the country. This gestation periodis comparable to internationalbenchmark.

The experience gained fromTAPP-3&4 is being utilized foruprating the unit size to 700 MWe.Four such units of 700 MWe each, twoat Rawatbhata in Rajasthan and twoat Kakrapar in Gujarat are proposedto be built.

At present, NPCIL operates15 nuclear power units with anaggregate capacity of 3360 MWe.This will increase to 3900 MWe oncethe 16th unit, TAPP-3, is declaredcommercial. The installed nuclearpower capacity will increase to 4,120MWe by end of Tenth Five Year Plan(2002-2007) and 10,280 MWe byEleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12). Itis planned to achieve an installednuclear power capacity of 20,000MWe by year 2020.

NPCIL is unique in having built,under one roof, comprehensivecapability in all facets of nucleartechnology namely – site selection,design, construction, commissioning,operation, maintenance and lifeextension of nuclear power plants.

ITER signing ceremony at theEuropean Commission in Brussels.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a projectto demonstrate the potential of fusion as an energy source, is the world’s biggestscientific collaboration of its kind and involves countries representing overhalf the world’s population. The seven parties engaged in the project met inBrussels on 24 May 2006 to confirm the agreements negotiated over the pastyear, following the decision to select the site for the construction and operationof ITER in Europe at Cadarache in southern France. The Seven Parties toITER are the European Union, Russia, Japan, China, India, South Korea andthe United States.

The ITER project is an international collaborative research project whichwill reproduce the physical reaction - fusion - that occurs in the sun and stars.Fusion has severalattractions as alarge-scale energysource; its basicfuels are abundantand available every-where; no green-house gas emissions;no transportationo f r a d i o - a c t i v ematerials; no possi-bility of meltdown orrunaway reactions;no long-lasting radio-active waste to bepassed on to futuregenerations.

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In recent years, the Board ofRadiation & Isotope Technology(BRIT) has been leading theresurgence of isotope applicationsand radiation technology acrossindustry, healthcare, research andagricultural sectors. It is focused onbringing the benefits of India’s vastresources available with the robust R& D efforts of Bhabha AtomicResearch Centre and large irradiationcapacities available with the NuclearPower Corporation to createtechnologies, applications andservices which cannot be replaced byconventional techniques. Harnessingthe spin offs from the mainstreamprogrammes of DAE, BRIT hasindependently created a separatevisible area of contribution to thesociety.

To widen these activities and toenable the commercial exploitation ofthe results of R & D, BRIT was carved

out of BARC as an independentconstituent unit of the DAE inMarch 1989. The production ofradioisotopes, which had begun withthe research reactor APSARA, got aboost with the commissioning ofresearch reactors CIRUS andDHRUVA. Later, production ofcobalt-60 was initiated in the powerreactors. The Rajasthan AtomicPower Project Cobalt Facility(RAPPCOF) located at Kota is themainstay of the cobalt basedprogramme of BRIT.

As a constituent unit of DAE,BRIT is unique in more than one way.It deals with radioactivity frommicrocurie to million curie levels. Thecomplexities of the tasks involved inthe day-to-day operations can beunderstood by a few examples likehandling of huge casks withthousands of curies of cobalt to thelaser welding of miniature steel

capsules for making brachy-therapysources. BRIT has a vast networkof customers which ranges frommajor industrial units, ports, big hospitalchains and sophisticated researchlaboratories to humble diagnosticlaboratories. Consequently, BRIT hascreated expertise to cater to theexacting demands from such a diverseset of clientele.

Radiation ProcessingA major impact of radiation

technology has been in the field thesterilization of medical products,which over the years has gainedtremendous popularity and acceptancein society due to its simplicity andreliability. Though the first radiationprocessing plant for the sterilization ofmedical products - ISOMED wascommissioned in the country in theyear 1974, the Radiation ProcessingTechnology has established firm rootsonly now with the commissioning offour plants fully in the private sector.BRIT’s other plant at Vashi, NaviMumbai has also been performingvery well and now has enabled theintroduction of radiation processedfood products for domestic , and moreimportantly, export markets. Indiabeing a large producer of agriculturalcommodities, strategies for foodsafety and security are of vitalimportance. Fully indigenous gammaradiation processing plants are goingto play a very important role in thisregard in the years to come. Therecent acceptance of radiationprocessing as a mode of quarantinetreatment for mangoes will enableIndian exporters to re-enter the largeUS market. Radiation processing ofmarine products is going to gainimportance in the days to come. BRIThas already developed an all metalbatch irradiator called Install &Operate irradiator which canundertake such jobs. It is planned tooffer this design to privateentrepreneurs in near future.

DAE has included the setting up

BRIT : Looking Ahead

Dr. A.K. KohliChief Executive, Board of Radiation & Isotope Technology

Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant Cobalt Facility (RAPPCOF) , Kota, Rajasthan

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of Radiation Processing Plants in thecountry as one of its major missions.It is planned to set up more than 50large irradiators by 2020 so thatharmful fumigants used forsterilization and hygienization couldbe phased out from the country. BRITis determined to achieve this missionfor the welfare of the public,

particularly farmers.While the major thrust will be on

the indigenous Cobalt-60 basedtechnology, expansion of ElectronBeam (EB) facilities is also underway.BRIT is managing the operation of a2 MeV EB machine and will supportthis technology in a big way once theindigenous machines mature.

Radiopharmaceuticals &Immunodiagnostic kits

Production of Radiopharma-ceuticals, Immunoassay kits andLabeled Compounds constitute asignificant part of the day-to-dayactivities of BRIT. Radiopharma-ceuticals have revolutionized themedical field by their ability toprovide static as well as dynamicimages of internal organs in a non-invasive manner as well as by offeringefficacious therapy for certaindiseases. Growth in the quantity ofconsignments has been accompaniedby the expansion in the range ofproducts.

Radiopharmaceuticals based ontechnetium are used in over 80 percent of nuclear medicine centres andform the workhorse of diagnosticn u c l e a r m e d i c i n e . B R I T, i nconjunction with BARC, shouldersthe responsibility of the development,production and supply ofradiopharmaceuticals to abouthundred nuclear medicine centres in

ISOMED Plant at Trombay, Mumbai

Radiation Processing Plant at Vashi, Navi Mumbai

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India and the number is growing. RIAand IRMA kits are supplied to about400 laboratories in India. BRIT isroutinely manufacturing about 25radiopharmaceuticals and apart fromcatering to domestic requirementsexporting to some of the neighbouringcountries like Nepal, Sri Lanka etc..BRIT has introduced Carbon-14 ureacapsules used for diagnosis ofhelicobacter pylori infection which ismainly responsible for peptic ulcerand gastritis in human beings. BRITis shortly going to introduce P-32Samarium Phosphate colloidsynovectomy injection for whichmulti-centric clinical trials are goingon. Work is in progress for introducingtherapeutic radiopharmaceuticals likeI-131 MIBG and certain new cold kitsfor technetium labelling.

BRIT operates the 16.5 MeVMedical Cyclotron Facility in the TataMemorial Hospital Building at Parel,Mumbai. This cyclotron producesspecial radiopharmaceuticals like18FDG for Positron EmissionTomography (PET) studies andsupplies are already being made tomajor private hospitals in Mumbai.Another 30 MeV medical cyclotronis planned to be set up in Kolkatajointly with VECC to cater to thehospitals in the eastern region withwider range of isotopes. Introductionof PET-CT has already revolutionizedmedical imaging scene and demandfor it is going to grow very fast.

Battle Against Cancer withRadiotherapy

BRIT contributes significantly tothe battle against cancer by supplyingCobalt-60 teletherapy sources tocancer hospitals all over the country.BARC has recently introduced itsindigenously developed teletherapymachine – Bhabhatron to enable itsdeployment in big way. BRIT will doits bit by manufacturing and supplyingthe Co-60 sources for the same. It alsotakes care of the needs of Platinumcoated Iridium-192 wires for

brachytherapy treatment in thecountry. Work has already beenundertaken for development of state-of-the art HDR Remote AfterloadingEquipment which will revolutionizecancer treatment activities in thecountry.

Furthering contribution to NDTSector

A major contribution of BRIT toIndian industry is the development ofgamma radiography cameras bothwith Iridium-192 and Cobalt-60sources. The ROLI camera developedby BRIT today enjoys more than thirtyper cent market share amongstindustrial users for non-destructivetesting (NDT) applications. BRIT isable to meet the demand of all theNDT Centres in the country for theirrequirement of Iridium-192 as well asCobalt-60 radiography sources. Thereis a plan to enter the export market tothe nearby countries. Servicing ofradiography devices and sourcereplenishment is carr ied outthroughout the year on a regular basisby BRIT. Advanced models ofradiography devices are underdevelopment to provide the domesticcustomers with improved features ateconomical rates.

Laboratory IrradiatorsA much needed equipment for the

medical users, Blood Irradiator, waslaunched a few years back and is usedin specialty and cancer hospitals.Patients who are immuno-compromised cannot be given normalblood transfusion. A condition termedpost-transfusion graft-versus-hostdisease occurs which can only beaverted by eliminating the T-lymphocytes in the donor’s blood.This can only be done by low doseirradiation. BRIT has developed theblood irradiator unit which canprocess blood bags. BRIT plans tolease out such Blood Irradiators sothat these could be utilized in moreeffective manner.

In order to facilitate laboratoryscale research in diverse radiationrelated areas, BRIT has developeddifferent models of compact self-shielded gamma chambers, whichhave been supplied to industries,research laboratories, and academicinstitutions around the country andquite a few units also have beenexported to countries abroad. BRITplans to come out with much morecompact table top Cesium-137 basedLaboratory Irradiators for similarpurposes.

Custom Synthesis in DrugDiscovery

The strengths nurtured over theyears in BRIT with respect toradiolabelling technology and trainedmanpower has opened up interestingnew business prospects. LabelledCompounds Laboratory, BRIT hasentered the Compounds SynthesisO u t s o u r c i n g b u s i n e s s i nPharmaceuticals industry. Utilisingthe in-house strengths of highlyexperienced synthetic chemists andstate-of the art infrastructure, BRIToffers development of novel routesand purification methods for clientsinterested in outsourcing part of theirsynthesis of new molecules. Rallis

Blood Irradiator

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Shri R.N. Jayaraj has taken

over as Chief Executive of

Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) in

place of Shri R. Kalidas, who has

retired on attaining the age of

superannuation. Shri Jayaraj

was holding the post of Deputy

Chief Executive (Nuclear Fuel

Fabrication) at NFC. Shri

Jayaraj has vast experience in

the field of enriched and natural

uranium nuclear fabrication

which are used in Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) at Tarapur (TAPS

1&2) and all Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) in the country.

After obtaining Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering in the year

1973 from Osmania University, Shri R.N. Jayaraj joined 17th Batch of

Training School of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai,

for one year re-orientation course in nuclear engineering. He then joined

Atomic Fuels Division of BARC where he contributed in the production

of metallic uranium fuel assemblies for CIRUS reactor and development

of production processes for the manufacture of fuel assemblies for

DHRUVA reactor.

After his transfer to Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad in the year

1978, he played a key role in establishing the assembly plant for the

production of core sub-assemblies required for Fast Breeder Test Reactor

(FBTR). He was instrumental in successfully fabricating and supplying

all the core sub-assemblies for FBTR for the first time in India. In mid-

80’s, he was given the responsibility of production of natural uranium

dioxide fuel bundles required for all the PHWRs, which he successfully

executed in meeting the fuel requirements of Nuclear Power Corporation

of India Limited. While carrying out regular production of fuel bundles

for PHWRs, Shri Jayaraj immensely contributed in the indigenous

development of various equipment for critical processes involving welding,

machining centers and assembly stations. He also contemplated several

process improvements in the uranium dioxide pellet production and fuel

bundle fabrication resulting in substantial increase in the production

recoveries. Shri Jayaraj played pioneering role in manufacturing fuel for

the first 540 MWe reactor at Tarapur, first of its kind in the country, that

was commissioned recently.

India Ltd., Godrej Agrovet Ltd.,Themis Medicare, Zydus ResearchCentre have already outsourced theirtasks for radio-synthesis operations toBRIT.

BRIT, today, is gearing up to meetthe challenges of the new millenniumbased on the experience of its past andexpectant of the prospects of thefuture. BRIT would endeavour toconsolidate its existing market forisotope applications and radiationtechnology while constantly openingup newer areas where the benefits ofthe atomic energy programme canreach all segments of our country’spopulation.

Customer supportThe Customer Support Services of

BRIT handles the day-to-day needs ofhundreds of customers and reachestothem specific isotopes for applicationin healthcare, industry, research andagriculture on a week-by-week basis.More than 45,000 consignments aredispatched to customers all over thecountry every year. A specialCustomer Relationship Cell functionsat the Project House with all moderncommunication facilities. Thewebsite is deployed to assist thecustomers to get supply position ofmajor sources and equipment on a24x7 basis. Newer customer friendlyservices such as Retail Outlet to buymaterials across the counter, advanceintimation on booking of consign-ments on website etc. are introduced.

In the End …BRIT today, is gearing up to meet

the challenges of the new millenniumbased on the experience of its past andexpectant of the prospects of thefuture. BRIT would endeavour toconsolidate its existing market forisotope applications and radiationtechnology while constantly openingup newer areas where the benefits ofthe atomic energy programme canreach all segments of our country’spopulation.

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The project Early Detection ofCommon Cancers in Women in Indiaof the Tata Memorial Centre UrbanOutreach Programme Project, hasbeen funded by National Institute ofHealth, USA. Principal Investigatoris Dr. K.A.Dinshaw, Director, TataMemorial Centre and Dr. R.R.Shashiand Dr. Gauravi Mishra are theC o - i n v e s t i g a t o r a n d p r o j e c tco-ordinator respectively.

It has been the mandate of the TataMemorial Hospital, since its inceptionin the year 1941, to provide the bestquality, comprehensive cancer careservices, in the country. Over the last65 years the hospital has providedsuccour to hundreds of thousands ofcancer patients.

Unfortunately, the cancer burdenin India continues to grow. Todaythere are around 2.5 million cancercases. Every year 8 lakh new casesare added to this number, whereas 5.5lakh cancer patients die each year.This large scale morbidity andmortality associated with cancercontinues unabated due to the singlemost important fact that cancerprevention and early detectionservices are almost non-existent in thecountry leading to over 70% of thecases reporting for treatment in fairlyadvanced stages of the disease. Thissituation can be easily reversed if wecould have, well planned cancereducation and organized screeningand early detection programmes.

Cancers of the cervix and breastaccount for 50% of cancers and 40%of all the deaths from cancers amongwomen in India. A large proportionof these cancers present in advancedstages at the time of diagnosis, whencure is not possible. The standardmethods and technologies used forscreening of common cancers in thedeveloped countries e.g. Pap smearfor cervix cancer and mammographyfor breast cancer cannot be applied indeveloping countries like Indiabecause of resource constraints andabsence of trained manpower.

Early Detection of Common Cancers inWomen in India (Tata Memorial CentreUrban Outreach Programme Project)

Dr A K Dinshaw, Principal InvestigatorDr S S Shastri, Co- Investigator

Dr Gauravi Mishra, Project Co-ordinator

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The Tata Memorial Hospital overthe last seven years has been devotingconsiderable time and resourcestowards the development of simpleand cost effective methods for theearly detection of cervical and breastcancers, among women. One suchinitiative is a programme entitled“Early Detection of Common Cancersin Women in India”, which is testingthe efficacy of a simple test calledVisual Inspection of the cervix withAcetic Acid (VIA) for the earlydetection of cervix cancer and ClinicalBreast Examination (CBE) for theearly detection of breast cancer. Boththese tests are provided by trainedPrimary Health Care Workers and thestudy is being carried out among 1.5lakh women in the age group of 35 to65 years, living in the slums ofMumbai. This study is conductedunder the aegis of the Department ofPreventive Oncology of TMC backedby the comprehensive cancer carefacilities of the Tata MemorialHospital.

Efficacy of mammography inyoung women is debatable. Ourpopulation structure has more than60% of women below age of 50(unlike in the west where 70% ofpopulation is above 50). Hence, astudy demonstrating the efficacy ofClinical Breast Examination will beof a great benefit and relevance toalmost all the developing countrieslike India. This study is the onlyscientific study anywhere in the worldthat will help establish the benefits ofClinical Breast Examination as astandalone method for early detectionof breast cancer.

Detection of both breast and cervixcancers in the advanced stage ofdisease requires major mutilatingsurgeries e.g. mastectomy (Surgicalremoval of the affected breast) andhysterectomy (surgical removal of theaffected cervix/uterus) resulting inserious physical and emotional loss ofsexual identity for the woman. Thisis in addition to the enormous cost and

serious side effects, chemotherapeuticmedication (e.g. loss of body hair,increased risk to serious infectionsetc.).

Early detection through theTMCUOP results in down staging ofthe disease and subsequently gives thewomen the advantage of being ableto avail of organ conserving treatment.(e.g. breast conservation surgeryinvolves only surgical removal ofcancerous lump and not removal ofentire breast). Similarly, early stagesof cervix cancer can be treated bysimple excision biopsy like LEEP orConization, thereby conserving theuterus and cervix.

This study investigates theeffectiveness of well planned healtheducation programme (HEP) alongwith low-cost screening methods e.g.clinical breast examination (CBE),and visual inspection of the cervixpainted with 4% acetic acid (VIA), indown-staging and thereby reducingthe incidence of cervix cancer andmortality due to breast and cervixcancers. The screened positivepatients are referred to the TataMemorial Hospital for furtherinvestigations and management. Alsoone of the secondary objectives of thestudy is to determine if suchprogrammes can be integrated intoroutine public health care activities,in India.

The population of Mumbai isaround 13 million (2001 census). Astaggering 30% of the population ofMumbai lives in slums, which for allpractical purposes can be considereda parallel city. Providing health careto the population living in slums is ahighly challenging task. The earlycancer detection service programmeprovides services to this socio-econo-mically disadvantaged populationliving in the slums of Mumbai. Thisis a community based clusterrandomized study involving 1.5 lakhwomen, from low socio-economicgroup between the ages of 35-64 yearsfrom the slums of Mumbai, staying

in 10 geographically defined clustersthat have been randomly allocated intoan intervention arm and a control arm.Medical Social Workers carry outsurvey and invite the eligible womenfor examinations at the screeningcamp and trained female primaryhealth workers conduct theseexaminations. The project provides awell planned health educationprogramme along with breast andcervix cancer screening at 2 yearintervals to 75,000 women fromselected slum clusters in Mumbai.Another group of 75,000 women fromother slum clusters are providedhealth education only.

The project envisages theprovision of four rounds of screeningfollowed by another eight years ofobservation for demonstrating areduction in the incidence andmortality due to cervix and breastcancers among women who receivedthe screening as compared to womenwho did not receive the screening.The actual field work was started inMay 1998 and is expected to completeby December 2015. Till May, 2005,women from all the ten intervention-clusters (n=75955) received threerounds of intervention (averagecompliance rate 68%). Also womenfrom first four intervention-clustershave received four rounds ofintervention (average compliance rate66%). Women from all 10 controlclusters received on round of healtheducation in the beginning(Compliance rate 91%). The presentcycle consisting of 4th screen forclusters (5to10), is ongoing. 128 casesof breast cancer and 79 cases of cervixcancer were detected in theintervention arm and 61 cases ofbreast cancer and 44 cases of cervixcancer were detected in the controlarm, till date.

This project, which was started inthe year 1997, received funding fromthe National Institute of Health (NIH),USA during September 1997 toAugust 2003. It is presently run with

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the intramural TMH grants.Theintermediate results of this study arevery encouraging showing that simplelow cost technology carried out byhighly trained Primary HealthWorkers is effective in downstagingbreast and cervix cancers.

A total of 85 salaried project staffmembers were involved in the studywhich primarily include the medicalsocial workers, primary healthworkers, project assistants and theData Management Team. Theinvestigators, consultants and co-ordinator from Tata MemorialHospital plan and guide the projectteam.

This study which is the first of itskind from a developing country isexpected to guide the future policieson cancer control programmes in Indiaand other resource poor countries.This study is also the onlyRandomized Controlled Trial thatcompares Clinical BreastExamination with noscreening.

Anticipated benefits to theDeveloping Countries

This trial when completed willprovide the basis for utilizing low-costtechnology tools in down-staging,cervix and breast cancers in societiesthat have limited financial resources.This programme of ‘Early Detectionof Common Cancers in Women’ canbe used as a Model for the planningan implementation of National HealthProgramme for control of cancers. Inthe rural areas it can be implementedthrough the already existing networkof field level staff consisting of healthworkers. In the cities the programmecan be implemented by a chain ofmunicipal corporation dispensariesand hospitals. This low-cost effectivetechnology for cancer detection inwomen will prove to be highlybeneficial for the developingcountries.

Model Rural CancerControl Programme

The Tata Memorial Centrecommissioned a Model Rural CancerControl Programme in Ratnagiri andSindhudurg districts of Maharashtraunder the DAE Xth plan projects, onAugust 17, 2003. These districts werechosen since they have a highincidence/prevalence of commoncancers but have very poor access tocancer care and health care in general.

Six Mobile Education-cum-Screening Units (MESUs) have beenestablished as part of this programme.

The programme creates awarenessregarding tobacco related cancers,breast and cervix cancers in the localpopulation and conducts screeningcamps for the early detection ofcervix, breast and oral cancers amongwomen and oral cancer among menthrough village camps. Trainedprimary health care workers andnurses carry out the primaryscreening. Diagnostic confirmation isalso done at the village through mobileFirst Referral Level Units (FRLUs)by trained doctors. Persons detectedpositive for any of the above cancersare treated locally at the B.K.L.Walavalkar Hospital at Dervan, near

Chiplun, in Ratnagiri district, byconsultants from Tata MemorialHospital, who visit the site once amonth.

Doctors from the BKL Walawalkarhospital are also trained during theproject to enable them to treat cancercases. Only patients requiringradiation therapy are required to travelto the Tata Memorial Hospital,Mumbai.

A proposal for setting up a Cobaltteletherapy unit at the BKLWalawalkar Hospital is underconsideration. A cancer registry isalso being set up to keep a track ofthe cancer morbidity and mortality inthe region.

Around 5 lakh eligible men andwomen from the two districts areexpected to participate in the screeningprogramme. The screening will becompleted by March 31, 2007.

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Around 41,000 persons have beenalready screened till August 31, 2005and 189 cancer cases have beendetected and treated by theprogramme.

Another first in the area is thesetting up of telemedicine services asintegral part of the programme.Hardware, software and satellitecommunication for the telemedicineservices are being provided free-of-cost by the Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO)

Valuable benefits and outcomes ofthe Tata Memorial Centre RuralOutreach Programme are expected tobe local capacity building andtechnology transfer, reduction ofdisease burden and economic gain.National human resource developmentfor cancer control is another spin offfrom this programme. The firstNational Training Programme inPreventive Oncology organised by theTata Memorial Centre Rural OutreachProgramme during February 6-7,2005, was attended by MedicalOfficers from Regional CancerCentres across the country, who learntthe theory and practice of evidence-based screening for common cancersthrough rural community-basedstrategies.

The Tata Memorial Centre RuralOutreach Programme is expected toform the basis of future CancerControl Programmes in the country.

This programme is beingconducted by the ‘Department ofPreventive Oncology’ of the TataMemorial Centre in collaboration withthe B.K.L.Walawalkar Hospital

All inquiries with regard to thisproject may be addressed to:Dr. Surendra S. ShastriProfessor & HeadDepartment of Preventive Oncology,Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel,Mumbai - 400012

surendrashastri@hotmail.com

Village womenregistering for

cancer screening

Dr S.S.Shastri delivering the inaugural lecture at the National Conference forRegional Cancer Centres

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Hand Scan Biometric SystemP.S. Dhekne

Former Head, Computer Division, BARC

Automated biometric systemsconsist of complex hardware andsoftware designed to positivelyidentify an individual or to verify hisidentity using measurements of thebody. Such bodily measures have theappeal that they cannot be lost,forgotten or passed from one toanother and they are very hard toforge. Biometric systems are based onfundamental features that are derivedfrom unique physiological orbehavioral characteristics of a person.These characteristics which includefingerprints, hand silhouette, irispattern, blood vessel pattern on theretina, facial features, signaturedynamics and voice pattern, have allbeen explored as biometric identifierswith varying levels of success.

BARC has researched thepotential of using hand as a biometricidentifier in a different way andimportance was given for comfortableplacement of hand i.e. with palm sideresting on a base plate and the chargecoupled device (CCD) camera seeingthe nail side of hand from the top. Anew image processing techniquebased on simultaneously matching themultiple and distinctive 2-D imagepatterns on fingers from nail side ofthe hand at predefined geometricalpositions, has been developed forbiometric verification.

A prototype system to demonstratethe technique has been developed asshown in Fig.1, and Fig.2 shows userverification in progress. Basically, itis a one-to-one system, in which a livesample provided by the user iscompared to the pre-stored templateaccording to pre-defined accuracylimits. This technique of verifying theidentity of an individual involvesfollowing two major steps:

Registration : The system firstcaptures from nail side of the handimage, multiple distinctive 2-Dpatterns on fingers. This is known asthe registration process. These 2Dpatterns in the hand image of theindividual along with their coordinateinformation are used to form a uniquetemplate which can be used for his/her subsequent verification against a

live sample. A Personal IdentificationNumber (PIN) is allotted to eachperson at the time of registration.

Verification : During verificationthe individual using the system isrequired to type his PIN to call up hisrecord. A live sample provided by him/her is compared to the pre-storedtemplate according to pre-definedaccuracy limits. Based on thiscomparison, multiple parameters arecomputed. These parameters indicatedegree of similarity of templatepatterns with respect to thecorresponding patterns in verificationimage and also the geometrical

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distance between some of thesepatterns. A Quality DegradationFactor (QDF) is computed based onthe deviations observed in theseparameters and user’s claim foridentity is accepted or rejecteddepending upon the threshold limit setfor this factor in the template.Basically, it is a one-to-one system,which compares the biometricinformation presented by anindividual with biometric informationstored in the template correspondingto that individual.

Three systems based on the abovetechnique have been installed at threedifferent locations for evaluation.These systems are continuously in useand are working satisfactorily. In oneof the systems where 130 personswere registered, analysis of theacquired data comprising of morethan ten thousand VerificationAttempts, revealed that the marginalcases of False Rejection were onlydue to improper placement of thehand. After training the persons usingthe Training Mode, False Rejectionrate is reduced to a value below 2%.No case of False Acceptance has beenreported so far during actual use onany of these systems. Hence, the FalseAcceptance rate as on today is zero.

A Face Verification System hasalso been developed for personalauthentication and is under test. A planis also taking shape to carry out fusionof face and hand biometrics toprovide layered biometric solution foreffective access control, especially fordeployment at strategic locations.

Recovery of Uranium from Seawater byHarnessing Tidal Energy

A K SaxenaPICUS, Desalination Division

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400085

In the last century uranium hasuniversally gained acceptance asprimary energy source. Currently itcaters to about 16% of the electricitygeneration globally. Uranium wasprojected as the main workhorse offuture when the fossil energy reservesdwindle by the middle of this century.The terrestrial distribution of uraniumore occurrence is grossly uneven.With a large coastline, India, Japan,Korea and a few other nations have alarger stake in exploiting the 4.5billion tones of uranium locked inseawater. The greatest of the scientificand technological challenges inextracting uranium from seawater arelying in finding a technology thatgives a net positive energy balance interms of electricity produced from theso recovered uranium and the otheris the cost of production. This articledeals with the Indian efforts on boththese issues.

Basic adsorption mechanismDuring seventies and eighties the

Ini t ia l invest igat ions on thepossibilities of recovery of uraniumfrom seawater were done usinginorganic adsorbents. The inorganicadsorbents suffer limitations ofadsorption rate and insufficientmechanical stability. Since earlynineties extensive investigations arebeing carried out on organicadsorbents. Poly Acrylamid Oxime(PAO) was picked up as the best betfor studies since July 1999. Itpreferentially extracts heavy metalions by chelating mechanism. Apolypropylene fibre substrate isirradiated with electron beam to

create grafting sites on the polymerchain and then treated withacrylonitrile to graft cyano groups onthose sites. Then the cyano groupsare reacted with hydroxylamine toconvert them into amidoxime groups.These amidoxime groups trap theloosely bonded uranyl ion from theuranyl tricarbonate present in the ionicform i.e. UO

2 (CO

3)

34- in seawater.

For each pair of two molecules ofPAO one uranium atom is captured.Stoichiometrically PAO should havean extraction capability of 3.6 kg U/kg PAO.

Lab-scale experimentsDuring lab-scale experiments,

many types of fiber cross-sections andgeometries were evaluated forestablishing efficacy of grafting.Polypropylene fibre of 1.5 Deniercross-sections as stem material in non-woven felt form was used. ElectronBeam Radiation induced grafting ofacrylonitrile was carried out withoptimized parameters. The solutionviscosity and temperature were alsofound to be important factors. Thenthe cyno group was converted to PAO.

The substrate was then reactedwith alkaline solution to imparthydrophylicity and adsorptioncharacteristics. The tokens of size75x70x2 mm thick and 150x150x2mm thick were used.

Corrosion, bio fouling and theircombined effect on the adsorptionkinetics and mechanical properties ofthe materials used in the suspensionassembly and the substrate werestudied and their compatibilities withseawater and process chemicals were

Continued on page 15

12

The primary mandate of the IndiraGandhi Centre for Atomic Research(IGCAR) is to develop fast reactortechnology for economic, safe andsustainable nuclear power. Thisrequires introduction of innovativefeatures to ensure increased bum-upof fuel, safety in design and operation,as well as effectively closed fuel cycle.Succeeding in this missionnecessitates a multi-disciplinary R&Dprogramme, which has been ahallmark for IGCAR. Synergism ofexpertise and facilities in IGCAR withIndian academia and researchinstitutes is important for speeding upthis challenging task. A consciouseffort has been made over the decadesto network a vibrant academia-research institute-industry interactiontowards finding solutions for FBRtechnology. Apart from thecontributions from eminent facultymembers, the inputs provided by thedynamic and enthusiastic studentshave been commendable. Thus humanresource development has been oneof the areas of emphasis in themanagement philosophy of theCentre. Besides, it has also beenrealised that as a premier R & D centrewith state-of-the art facilities, IGCARis well placed to contribute toenhancement of science andtechnology education in India.

A variety of approaches tostrengthen a vibrant interaction withacademic and research institutes havebeen adopted by IGCAR. The variousmodes of interaction includeparticipation of selected students topursue postgraduate research atIGCAR, sponsored research projects,collaborative projects, and byorganizing vocational training coursesand workshops. Also, a few scientistsfrom IGCAR have been invited asmembers of Board of Studies by

academic institutional like AnnaUniversity, Annamalai University,Sathyabama deemed University andPSG College of Technology, toenhance their quality of education.Many scientists from IGCAR havealso been benefited from interactionswith academic institutions such asIndian Institute of Technology (IIT’s),Indian Institute of Science (IISc.),Banaras Hindu University, AnnaUniversity, Madras University, etc., toacquire higher qualifications.

Project Students at IGCAREvery year nearly 200

undergraduate and postgraduatestudents are selected to participate inthe various on-going projects atIGCAR, encompassing various facetsof materials development, chemistry,reprocessing, reactor design and

safety. These opportunities are aimedat motivating the young minds and togroom them to become competentprofessionals. The benefits derivedfrom such interactions are quickerR&D outputs, from eager and sharp,if not fully matured students, not tomention the expertise of the Instituteguide. The DAE Graduate FellowshipScheme (DGFS) recently started byDAE, is similar in spirit to identifytalented students immediately aftertheir undergraduate degree andnurturing them to contribute toDepartmental mission programmes,by sponsoring their postgraduatestudy and enrolling them asemployees of the Department. Thebenefits to IGCAR from this schemehave already been tangible both interms of enhanced DAE-IIT linkageand quality of human resourceaddition.

Collaborative Research ProjectsMore than 80 sponsored projects

have already been completed in

Research education linkage:IGCAR experience

The 1.7 mega volt Tandetron Accelerator at the Materials Science Division, IGCAR..This accelerator is being used for experiments on simulation of radiation damageusing ion beams, synthesis of novel phases by irradiation and materialscharacterization using Rutherford backscattering, channeling and PIXE. Theaccelerator facilities at IGCAR are extensively used by the students under the UGC-DAE-CSR programme.

13

collaboration with 23 institutes,including many premier academic andR&D institutes. Many projects aresponsored by IGCAR, while some ofthe projects are sponsored by Boardof Research on Nuclear Sciences(BRNS). Most projects are in areasvital to FBR and reprocessingprogrammes, be it support to robustdesign, detailed materialscharacterization, establishing andvalidating new technologies, or searchfor new and better processes. Majorityof the projects with IIT Madras, insupport of design involvedevelopment of models, andtheoretical and computer codedevelopment. Some of the projectshad also experimental components forwhich infrastructure available wereused, or specifically built with theproject fund. Examples are: bucklinginvestigations of inner vessel and mainvessel, dynamic experiments on coresupport structure, studies on thermalstriping, structural integrityassessment of control plug andsodium piping, seismic qualificationstudies on Control Safety Rod DriverMechanism, structural design ofreactor vault, geo-technicalcharacterization of 500 MWe FastBreeder Reactor (FBR) site,mathematical model for sodiumcombustion in leak collection tray, andvarious thermal-hydraulics studies.Projects with IISc., Bangalore relatingto various aspects of 500 MWe FBRdesign are equally important. Theseinclude review of Design BasisEarthquake for the site, seismicresponse of sodium pipelines,structural reliability analysis of coresupport structures, coalescence ofdrops in centrifugal contactors, andexperimental and analytical study onthe reinforced cement concrete beamcolumn joints with/without fibersunder cyclic loading.

The Metallurgy and MaterialsProgramme of IGCAR has embarkedon a range of collaborative researchprojects with various institutes.

Projects in critical areas involvingnondestructive evaluation (NDE)include: application of criticalityrefracted longitudinal (L

CR) ultrasonic

waves for deformation and residualstress assessments in stainless steelplates and components of nuclearindustry in collaboration with theAnna University; design anddevelopment of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)ultrasonic transducers for NDEapplications in collaboration with theIISc, Bangalore; and development ofultrasonic phased array basedtechniques for rapid evaluation of endplug welds in fuel pin assembly incollaboration with the IIT Madras.Two other projects, in collaborationwith IIT Madras may be mentionedhere: transient infrared thermographybased detection of blisters in pressure

tubes of pressurized heavy waterreactor, and eddy current based timedomain electromagnetic surveysystem for remote sensing of uraniumdeposits. Facilities in IISc, Bangalorehave been extensively utilized forgenerating the base line data necessaryfor identifying the safe processingwindows of important reactormaterials using Dynamic MaterialModeling approach. IISc, Bangaloreis also involved in a project onmitigation of bio-fouling of Ti surfacein the coastal waters of Kalpakkam.A project on investigation of frettingwear and tribological behaviour ofModified 9Cr- I Mo/Aluminised IN718 materials, has been sponsored toIIT Delhi. Another project oninvestigation of tribological behaviourof stainless steel 316LN, Colmonoydeposits on 316LN stainless steel,

Leak-Before-Break tests of 500 MWe FBR Steam Generator Shell Nozzle Junctionat the Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

14

CrN coating on 316LN stainless steeland ASTM A453 Grade 660 has beensponsored to IISc, Bangalore. Thesewill generate important base line data,and will also mark the beginning of anew area of research in IGCAR,namely correlation betweenmicrostructure - tribology and frettingproperties. In recent years, it has beenincreasingly recognized that weldingand hardfacing technologies arecrucial to the success of our fastbreeder reactor and reprocessingprogrammes. A BRNS project onoptimization of Colomonoydeposition process is in progress incollaboration with AnnamalaiUniversity. A technologicallyimportant area in which IGCAR hasdeveloped expertise, is in dissimilarmetal welding. This area has provedto be of crucial importance for thesuccess of IGCAR’s reprocessingprogramme. A multi-prongedapproach has been undertaken, togenerate a research base, which willeventually lead to the identification ofthe technologically viable method.Accordingly, projects that have beeninitiated are on Friction Welding ofTi to 304L SS in collaboration with IITMadras; Diffusion Bonding of Tito 304 L SS in collaboration with PSGCollege of Tech., Coimbatore; andExplosive Welding of Ti to 304L SSin collaboration with AnnamalaiUniversity. Through these endeavours,IGCAR has been able to providesupport for enhancing theinfrastructural facilities at theacademic institutes in addition toproviding opportunities for thestudents to participate in areas ofexciting science and challengingtechnologies.

The development of novelextractants and resins for reprocessingand waste management is a typicalexample of an area where strengthsin academic and research institutescompliment those in DAE. Acollaborative programme has beenadopted involving National Chemical

Laboratory (NCL), Pune, ThermaxLimited, Pune, and IIT Madras. Thedevelopment of chemical sensors isan important activity, the product ofwhich would not only benefit thedepartment but also lead to industrialapplications in a large way. Thedevelopment of sensors is amultidisciplinary activity involvingnot only chemistry, but alsoelectronics, instrumentation andprecise fabrication. IGCAR’sinteractions with Central Glass andCeramic Research Institute (CGCRI)and IIT, Kharagpur are expected tocatalyze this activity through theexpertise available in these institutionsin development of ceramics.

IGCAR is also an activeparticipant in several otherimportant BRNS sponsoredprojects. A first of its kind hightemperature ultrasonic measurementfacility has been established atMEPCO Schlenk EngineeringCollege, Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. Inaddition to dynamic detection ofphase and structural transitions inalloys and oxide systems withscientific understanding on kineticaspects, an important outcome is therealization of the fact that creep and/or fatigue damage can be detectedwith high sensitivity by measurementof ultrasonic parameters at highert empera tu re s . Syn thes i s andconsolidation of oxide dispersionstrengthened ferritic steels by powdermetallurgical route, as well asdevelopment of titanium basedcoatings by molten salt route andboriding of austenitic stainless steelsfor applications in corrosive nitric acidenvironments are being developed incollaboration with PSG College ofTechnology, Coimbatore.

Collaboration under the UGC-DAE Scheme

Collaborative research under theInter-University Consortium -Department of Atomic Energy

Facilities (IUC-DAEF) Scheme wasinitiated at Kalpakkam in 1994, withthe express purpose of enhancementof utilization of the acceleratorfacilities at IGCAR. Research scholarsfrom various universities in India havemade use of the low energyaccelerators for pursuing research onion beam modification of materials,and for characterization of materialsusing Rutherford back scattering,Particle-Induced X-ray Emission(PIXE) etc. In this scheme 13 studentscompleted their Ph.D programmes,and it is satisfying to note that all ofthem are well placed in researchlaboratories both in India and abroad.With the recent enlargement of thescope of the collaboration in the formof University Grants CommissionDepartment of Atomic EnergyConsortium for Scientific Research(UGC-DAE-CSR) Scheme toencompass facilities other thanaccelerators, it is expected that thecollaborative ventures will grow instrength. Many talented students fromdifferent universities would benefitfrom this opportunity of working withstate-of-art and advanced techniques,many of which are available only in afew selected laboratories in thecountry. The impetus provided bythese opportunities for young studentsto continue pursuing advancedresearch for their professional careeris indeed heartening.

Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Educational Institutes

To formalise the linkages with theeducational and research institutions,IGCAR has signed MoUs with manyacademic institutions. The listincludes Anna University, IIT Madras,IISc, Bangalore, Loyola College,Velammal Engineering College &Management Institute, VelloreInstitute of Technology, K.J. Hospital& Research Institute, SathyabamaDeemed University, CrescentEngineering College and St. Josephscollege of Engineering. These MoUs

15

have provided opportunities not onlyfor the research students and facultyfrom these institutes to interact withIGCAR scientists, but also providedopportunities to IGCAR scientists toparticipate in the educational processthough seminars and joint discussions.

Vocational Training ProgrammesIGCAR has been conducting a six

week long annual Summer TrainingProgramme for M.Sc (I Year) studentsin Physics and Chemistry. Startingfrom 1995, every year, 20 students areselected, in each discipline, from morethan 200 applications. The studentsreceive stipend during their stay.Initially, this programme was confinedto students from Tamil Nadu andPondicherry. However, inconsideration of the overwhelmingresponse, this programme has beenextended to an all-India basis from2005. In this very popularprogramme, running during May-Julyevery year, the selected studentsundergo an intensive trainingcomprising of lectures, project workand tutorials. Many of the studentswho attended these courses went onto pursue research careers atprestigious universities, and some ofthem have also joined DAE throughthe training school. This course hasalso created a fraternity of students,who helped to create an awarenessof the research and developmentactivities of the Department amongstthe colleges and universities. IGCARis associated with ChennaiMathematical Institute (CMI) in theconduct of the experimentalprogramme for B.Sc. (Hons.) physicsstudents. IGCAR scientists are alsoinvolved in giving lecture courses tothe young and bright students at CMI.IGCAR has also been involved in theconduct of an Indian Academy ofSciences sponsored refresher coursefor college teachers. A DST sponsoredScience & Engineering ResearchCouncil (SERC) school on Methodsin Materials Characterisation for

research scholars was organized atIGCAR in February 2004.

To summarize, outsourcing ofR&D through collaborations withacademic institutes has helpedIGCAR in many ways. Critical inputshave been generated in relatively shortperiod, which helped in earlylaunching of the FBR programme. Inthe process, infrastructure has beendeveloped at many centers ofexcellence. Most importantly, byharnessing the available multi-disciplinary expertise in the entirecountry, a level of technicalachievement has been possible, whichwould be too difficult, if notimpossible, to achieve for any singleinstitution because of limitations ofresources. IGCAR in turn has alsosignificantly contributed to thedeve lopmen t o f s c i ence andtechnology education, both directlyand through the academic institutions.Given the ambitious mandate ofIGCAR, it can be confidentlypredicted that such collaborationsbetween IGCAR and other premierinstitutes will continue to bestrengthened in the years to come.

established.Recovery of Uranium fromSeawater ....

Based on initial success ofextracting about 800 µg of uraniumby harnessing the tidal wave usingPAO adsorbent, a process flow sheetfor a facility to extract 100gU/yearwas developed.

ConclusionThe specially developed organic

adsorbent PAO has shown promisingresults for recovery of uranium fromseawater. Pumped circulation schemesare inherently riddled with negativeelectricity gain, which means that theelectricity producing potential of therecovered uranium is less than theelectricity spent in its recovery.

PP fibrefelt

ElectronBeamirradiationgrafting

Graftplymerisation

withacrylonitrile

Oximation

PAO

Harnessing tidal waves has theadvantage of positive electricity gain.The extent of energy gain ratio willdepend much on the site selection.Feasibility studies on various sizes ofpilot scales will help in optimizationof process design parameters ofadsorbent synthesis and improving theyield of recovered uranium. Variousconfigurations of contactor arraydesigns are being developed tofacilitate the operational flexibility forthe offshore unit of the plant andutilization of tidal energy/waves moreefficiently.

Continued from page 11

16

... While pursuing the first phaseof unique 3-phase Nuclear PowerProgramme starting with PHWRs,Heavy Water was identified as one ofthe key input. Under this back drop,the journey for Heavy WaterProgramme commenced. Given thecountry’s priority for self-reliance, thefirst generation heavy water plantsincluded setting up of Bithermal H

2S,

H2O exchange plant based on wholly

indigenous effort while parallelyconstructing plants based on mono-thermal NH

3-H

2 exchange process

with the assistance from foreigncollaborators/suppliers. The technicalcompetence generated from design,construction and commissioning ofthese plants, acquired skill ofindustrial operation and the urge forexcellence paved the way for theconsolidation phase. The secondgeneration plants with higher plantcapacity were taken up forconstruction using indigenousengineering capabilities. The plants atHeavy Water Plant, Manuguru basedon H

2S-Water Exchange process and

Heavy Water Plants at Thal andHazira based on Ammonia -Hydrogen Exchange process werethus put into commercial operation.

Having set up more than 500 tonsof heavy water production capacityand having stabilized the operation ofall the plants, the emphasis shiftedtowards fine tuning of plants andimprovement of performance. Theexercise of self appraisal wasundertaken in a mission mode at allheavy water plants. The result was

Widened Horizon*

S. C. HiremathChairman & Chief Executive, Heavy Water Board

phenomenal. Heavy water productionin India exceeded its ownrequirement. Competitive cost ofproduction gave India exportopportunity for this high technologynuclear material. ....

In the new millennium,considering the trend of performanceof all Heavy Water Plants, the primarymandate given to Heavy Water Boardis successfully met. In the process,Heavy Water Board has createdresponsive high technology facultywhich has the unique capability oftaking product/process from Lab toindustrial production with an idealorientation towards industrialactivities. With the onset of newmillennium, meeting the requirementof certain key inputs for both thePHWR’s of first phase and the FBR’sof the second phase were seen as achallenge. At Heavy Water Plant,Talcher, development of process &product technologies on industrialscale production of various solventshaving application in nuclear fuelcycle are undertaken. At Heavy WaterPlant, Baroda, an alternate ammoniabased process for heavy waterproduction independent of fertilizerplants is developed. Heavy WaterBoard has thus exhibited the abilityto convert the adversities in a specificplant location into the opportunitiesand used its human resource bydiversifying into other activities.

Since separation of isotopes is themain strength for Heavy Water Board,the campaign was started withsetting up of production of enriched

Boron-10 required for Proto type FastBreeder Reactors. Civil works forBoric acid enrichment plant throughion chromatographic route at HeavyWater Plant, Manuguru is completedand work on execution of EPCcontract execution for the plant is inprogress and is expected to becompleted by June 2006. Resintesting procedures including itsperformance evaluation for isotopeseparation has been finalized inconsultation with IGCAR. Test cellfor Elemental Boron production hasbeen erected.

Engineering of this productionfacility for Boron-10 with 90%isotopic purity used in neutrondetectors is in advanced stage andlikely to be ready for operation atHWP Talcher by middle of 2006 andthis alternate route would augment theBoron availability for PFBR as well.Evaluation of commercially availablemass transfer tower internals forvarious sizes of Exchange DistillationColumns has been completed andprocess design has been finalized forscaled up version of the plant foraugmenting the enriched Boronproduction for meeting the PEBR’simproved schedule for meeting therequirement of detector grade BF3-CaF2 complex for Neutron Detectors.

Heavy Water Board has alsotaken up process & technologydevelopment for other isotopes likeO18. O18

is one of the isotopes having

application in nuclear medicine and

* Excerpts of the address on the occasion of the founder’s day of the Heavy WaterBoard

Manuguru Heavy Water Plant

17

biochemical research. DoublyLabeled Water (DLW) having certainconcentration of deuterium and O18 isused for measuring energy expend-iture, total body water content, etc. O18

finds use in Positron EmissionTomography (PET) used for typicallydetection and staging malignancies.The isotope has demand in DAE andthe Defence Research &Development Organisation (DRDO).HWB has embarked on distillationroute for production of H

2O18 at

99.8% purity and engineering is inprogress.

HWB has also taken up theassignment of supplying nucleargrade Sodium to be used as coolantfor prototype Fast Breeder Reactor.The plant for production of nucleargrade metallic sodium is set up atHWP, Manuguru. The processinvolves molten salt electrolysis ofsodium chloride followed bypurification process to meet thedesired quality of nuclear gradesodium. Technology for the plant,particularly the purification processhas been obtained from IGCAR andthe job of engineering, constructionand subsequent operation will becarried out by HWB. Engineering andmanufacturing trial operation of fullScale Fused Salt Test Cell has beenaccomplished. The first product drawlof Sodium metal from the Test cellhas been accomplished on 15.01.2006at HWP, Manuguru.

Solvents play a major role invarious extraction processes usedboth in the ‘front end’ as well as ‘backend’ of the nuclear fuel cycle.Solvents, which have been identifiedfor potential use, are TBP, D2EPHA,TOPO, TAPO, DNPPA, CMPO etc.HWB has already set up industrialscale production facility for TPB atHeavy Water Plant, Talcher. Pilotplant for production of D2EPHA hasalso been operated successfully.HWB is now engaged inidentification of suitable process forproduction of other solvents on

industrial scale. Work on synthesis ofTOPO has been taken up at HeavyWater Plant, Tuticorin on a laboratoryscale. The results obtained are highlyencouraging and scaling up of thesynthesis process is being taken up.In the next couple of years, HWB planto set up industrial scale productionfacility for D2EPHA and TOPO aswell as other solvents required fornuclear fuel cycle and FBR fuel cycle.D2EHPA and TBP being produced atTalcher facility are meeting theinternational quality standards andTBP Plant has met the requirement ofNRG-BARC, UED-BARC andgearing up to meet the bulkrequirement of NFC-DAE besidesmeeting the requirement of testfacility at HWP (Talcher) itself.

DAE has initiated the programmefor recovery of uranium fromsecondary sources. Phosphoric acidproduced by fertilizer industries hasbeen recognized as a suitablesecondary source. Thanks tocollaboration of last three decadeswith Gujarat State FertilizerCorporation (GSFC), SPIC,Rashtriya Chemical Fertilizer (RCF),KRIBHCO, Heavy Water Board hasexcellent rapport with the fertilizerIndustry. HWB possess the requiredmanagement skills to set up uraniumrecovery plants coupled withphosphoric acid plants. Additionally,experience of production andhandling of various solvents in itssolvent test facilities has given addedadvantage to HWB for engineeringsolvent extraction facility for specificapplications. A solvent test facility tocheck solvents’ efficacy and stabilityhas been set up at Heavy Water Plant,Talcher. Solvent extraction test, -using the solvents produced at HeavyWater Plant, Talcher - has indicatedencouraging recovery efficiency.Apart from above, HWB has alsotaken up development of solventextraction test facility for extractionof Uranium from phosphoric acid atHWP, Talcher. Separately action

towards development of highefficiency solvent extractionequipment has also been taken up.The expertise available in other unitsof the Department such as NFC,BARC, IGCAR are being resourcethrough well organised network fordeveloping these equipment. HWB issetting up Technology DemonstrationPlant for recovery of Uranium fromsecondary sources especially fromphosphoric acid manufactured usingrock phosphate, which contains 60-150 ppm Uranium at the RCF,Trombay.

In order to achieve furtherreduction in internal dosage ofoccupational workers of NuclearPower Station, a prototype HeavyWater clean up facility has beendeveloped and engineered. Utilizingthe experience of Hydrogen isotopeseparation and also the experience ofoperation of cryogenic plant at HeavyWater Plant, Nangal, HWB is settingup a Heavy Water Clean Up Facilityat RAPS/HWP (Kota). Projectexecution is taken up simultaneouslywhile concurrent development andengineering is in progress. ...

Taking note of the large potentialfor non-nuclear applications ofdeuterium in the fields of Medical,life science. Communication andmicroelectronics, HWB has initiatedactions for development of alternateapplications of deuterium / heavywater. Deuterium substitutedpolymers have shown outstandingsignal transmission characteristicswith reduced loss of intensity andbetter transmission efficiency whendeuterium gas is used in the opticalfibers. As required by one of theleading Optical Fibre manufacturers,HWB has generated deuterium gas ofrequired quality and supplied gassamples of 3% deuterium forexperimental purpose. The results arevery much encouraging and themanufacturer has come forward forentering into an MOU with HWB forregular supply of 3% bone dry

18

deuterium gas (15 cylinders/month)for a period of one year. Discussionson use of heavy water in variousapplications in veterinary fields havebeen also initiated with IndianVeterinary Research Institute, lzatNagar.

HWB have already supplied smallquantities of heavy water to BombayVeterinary College for R&D purposei.e. for studying the effect of heavywater on some specific living cell(s)and for viral vaccine studies in eggsand tissue culture.

Experience in design, constructionand operation of cryogenic systemwill provide HWB the engineeringback up for separation of Heliumfrom its natural sources. HWB hasalso identified a unique but difficultto deal with, source for recovery ofhelium using cryogenic process. There-cycled synthesis gas of ammoniasynthesis loop of large scale naturalgas based ammonia plants - providesa feed material which is pre-enrichedby around ten times compared to thehelium content of the feed natural gas.HWB is in the process of firming upof unit operation and their sequenceas a part of process technologydevelopment and to explore thetechno-economic feasibility of theabove process.

HWB has decided to utilize theinfra-structure facilities available atHeavy Water Plant, Talcher for settingup of an In-House R&D Centre as itis of importance for any industrial unitfor keeping pace with themodernization and front endtechnologies for developing newprocess towards isotope separation,developing synthesis route forpotential solvents, development ofcatalysts and its performanceevaluation, testing of solvents and‘solvent extraction equipment’ for itsperformance etc.

New cost effective and eco-friendly heavy water productionprocess HWB intends to developother innovative heavy water

production process which can bringin a significant change in the cost ofproduction as well as environmentimpact. One such process has beenidentified as Water - Hydrogen (H,0-H,) Exchange process for which theprocess as well as the catalystdevelopment has been taken as aR&D activity.

HWPs have maintained theirExcellent Safety Performance andhave achieved accident freecontinuous run of all the operatingplants during the period April -December 2005. HWP, Tuticorin &HWP, Kota have bagged theprestigious Shreshtha SurakshaPuraskar for the year 2004 fromNational Safety Council of India andin particular HWP, Tuticorin hasbagged it consecutively for the fourthyear. HWP, Hazira has crossed 2877days of accident free running as on31.12.2005 without any reportabledisabling injury. HWP, Hazira haswon the Winner Award from GujaratSafety Council for the year 2004.Heavy Water Plant, Kota is the firstamong all the Heavy Water Plantsand DAE units to get IS-18001,Occupational Health & SafetyManagement System (OHSMS)certification from Bureau of IndianStandards. HWPs at Thal andTuticorin have also been certified forIS-18001. HWB (Central Office) alsohas been certified for IS:9001-2000in January 2005 with respect todevelopment of process products,design and engineering of plants,production and supply of heavy water,specialty chemicals and other nuclearmaterials. No technology can beconsidered as successful if it has notaddressed the environmental aspectcompletely.

The technology of development ofHeavy Water Plants in India is a casein consideration where the technologywas developed from concept tocommissioning and, there are very fewparallels in the Indian scenario.

Three decades of operation andmaintenance of heavy water plantshas developed about 4000 strongtrained and experienced personnel inaddition to development of supplierswho are tuned to all aspects of hightech industrial activity. Thismanpower has been responsive to thecommunity around the plant, hasdeveloped an unparalleled safetyculture, and has shown utmostconcern for the management ofenvironment including conservationof natural resources. Such anexperienced and trained manpower isan invaluable asset. HWB takes pridein having such proactive manpowerand wishes to develop them by furtherenhancing their knowledge base andski l l se ts . Human resourcedevelopment and knowledgemanagement is, therefore, taken as animportant area of activity of HWB.

As on date. Heavy Water Boardhas widened its horizon. While theproduction of heavy water stillremains its major activity,diversification in other fields willprovide growth opportunity to theBoard. Heavy Water Board isdetermined to utilize its expertise invarious areas in supporting nuclearpower programme. The odyssey ofexcellence continues in the presentyear as the performance of HeavyWater Board surges ahead of its ownrecord of previous best which wascreated last year. The credit goes toevery member of the HWB andHeavy Water Plants and HWPs/HWBwill raise the bar and set newer benchmark every year.

DAE invites essays as perfollowing details written in anyofficial Indian language or in Englishfrom regular full time studentsstudying for graduation in India (after10+2), in any discipline, in an Indianuniversity or an institute deemed tobe a university.

TopicsThe introduction should highlight

the multifarious achievements ofDAE in basic sciences and nucleartechnology development and howthese have helped in overall societaldevelopment in the country. Thisintroductory portion should notexceed 500 words and should befollowed by a detailed essay notexceeding 1500 words in any one ofthe following topics:

(1) Energy scenario in India:emerging technologies in nuclearpower generation for safe andsustainable growth.

(2) Achievements and futureprospect of radioisotopes andradiation technology in India.

(3) Emerging applications of beamtechnologies: present status andfuture prospects in India.

Howto send the EssayThe essay should be sent to the

address given below directly by thecontestant, along with bonafidestudentship certificate from theprincipal of his/her College/Institute.No essay will be accepted if sent byE-mail or Telefax. The participantshall write his/her name, College/Institute and address on a separatedetachable sheet only. Name oraddress should not be writtenelsewhere on the text of the essay.

Mode of SelectionAfter initial screening and

evaluation, a maximum of thirty sixessays will be selected and theirauthors will be invited to Mumbai inthe last week of October 2006 for anoral presentation of the essays. Finalselection will be made on the basisof combined performance in oralpresentation and quality of the essay.Only the candidates short-listed fororal presentation will be informed.Those called for oral presentation inMumbai shall be eligible for:

a) To and fro AC 3-Tier rail fare bythe shortest route. Claim forreimbursement of rail fare for journeyperformed by Rajdhani/AugustKranti/Shatabdi Express will berestricted to AC 3-Tier by ordinaryExpress/Mail train.

b) Boarding and lodging in the GuestHouse of BARC at Anushaktinagar,Mumbai during the authorized periodof stay.

PrizesFirst Prize (3 nos.) : Rs.7,500/-Second Prize (3 nos.) : Rs.5,000/-Third Prize (3 nos.) : Rs.3,000/-*Consolation Prizes : Rs.1,500/-* To all those who make oral presentationbut do not secure first, second, or third

prize.

The prizes will be distributed onthe Founder’s Day (October 30,2006), which is the birth anniversaryof late Dr. Homi J. Bhabha.

The last date for receipt of essay isSeptember 1, 2006

For further details please write to:Administrative Officer,Public Awareness Division,Department of Atomic Energy,Government of India, AnushaktiBhavan, CSM Marg,Mumbai 400 001.

This information is also availableon www.dae.gov.in

18TH ALL INDIA ESSAY CONTEST IN NUCLEAR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

EDITORIAL GROUP: Dr. R. B. Grover, Director, Strategic Plng. Group, DAE, Director, HBNI and Group Director, Knowledge Management, BARC,K. Muralidhar, Secretary, AEC, Dr. K S Parthasarathy, Raja Ramanna Fellow, SPG, DAE, Dr. Vijai Kumar, Head SIRD, BARC, P.V. Dubey, Company Secretary, UCIL,G.Srihari Rao, Executive Director (IT&TG) ECIL, N. Panchapakesan, Manager (L&IS), NFC, S.K. Malhotra, Head, Public Awareness Dn, DAE,Arun Srivastava, SPG, DAE

EDITOR : R K Bhatnagar, Head, Publication Dn, DAE (e-mail: rkb@dae.gov.in, Fax: 022 - 2204 8476)

R.No. 9002/62